


It's okay to hurt

by MourningDew



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Feels, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Sad, Sans Needs A Hug, Sans remembers timelines, The underground has problems, They're on the surface, True Pacifist Route, dusttale
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-12
Updated: 2017-12-22
Packaged: 2018-08-21 23:46:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 14,762
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8264849
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MourningDew/pseuds/MourningDew
Summary: Sans is finally pressured into confessing his pain to Papyrus. Most chapters are flashbacks from Sans' point of view. Don't hate me for hurting the snas





	1. It's okay to hurt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello

As the aftershock of fear ebbed away, Sans suddenly realized just how big of a mess he had made of his (already messy) room. It was a damn good thing Papyrus wasn’t going to be home until tomorrow morning. 

Sans ripped himself free of his tangled sheets and stumbled toward the door, only to trip pathetically over a lone sock in his path. He fell sideways and rolled for a moment before coming to rest with his arms over his head and his side against the wall. 

He hadn’t realized he was crying until he felt a tear slip down the side of his skull and embed itself in the carpet. Sans roughly wiped it away and pushed down his fear. 

“SANS? ARE YOU ALRIGHT?” The skeleton in question jumped as his brother’s voice rang loud and clear through the doorway. 

“U-uh yeah I’m fine. But aren’t you uh supposed to be at that sleepover?” Sans replied, trying his best to pull himself together. 

“Well, it  _ is  _ eight and I did get back three hours ago.” Papyrus stated through the door. “But seriously Sans, are you alright in there? I heard a crash and followed my brotherly instincts and came to check on you.” 

“Oh, you did?” Sans said. Like an idiot. Silence followed. “Uh… thanks Paps, but I’m good.” 

“Hmm…” Papyrus hummed suspiciously. Sans heard him test the knob. “I have a feeling you’re not being honest with me Sans… could you let me in?”

Sans shook his head in a vague attempt to clear it, but only managed to make himself dizzy. “Sure thing Paps. Just give me a minute to clear the door of socks.” 

“AGAIN?” Papyrus disbelievingly groaned. 

It was somewhat true. There was in fact something blocking the door, it just wasn’t socks. It was his entire mattress leaned hazardously against the door in some sort of modern art display. 

Sans gathered his magic and lifted the mattress, moving it back to it’s respective corner. He also brushed most of his trash floor to the sides of his room in an organized chaos of laundry and food containers. 

He wrapped his phalanges around the knob and breathed deep (Not that it changed anything or helped) before turned it slowly to see the concerned face of his brother.

“Welcome back by the way.” Sans said as an afterthought. 

“Thank you, Sans, but what happened to your shirt?” Papyrus replied, gaze glued to Sans’ t-shirt which had been split clean down the middle. 

Sans mentally slapped himself for not checking himself before opening the door. “It got caught on the door hinge.” He blurted the first excuse he came up with. 

“...Wishful thinking? You are not that tall, brother.” Papyrus said after a moment. “And wouldn’t it tear sideways?” 

‘Shit.’ Sans thought. ‘Shit. Shit. SHIT I’m done for.’ 

“Sans… did you have another nightmare?” Pap pressed, placing a gloved hand on his shoulder. 

Sans’ dam shattered. The tears gushed forth. He fell to the floor. Papyrus cried out in alarm. 


	2. *insert unique and clever chapter title here*

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here come the tears

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long! All these classes bombard my life with unwanted torture. Wish me luck on the upcoming test! This next chapter is written from the cinnamon roll's point of veiw. I also added a few tags I forgot... they're in the true pacifist timeline right now and they made it to the surface.

Papyrus was always striding to be the best brother he could be. If a sock was dropped on the floor, he would give Sans a talking to for the greater good and move on. If ketchup stained the carpet crimson, Papyrus would clean it up and throw a stern warning over his shoulder. If his brother broke down in tears in the doorway, well of coures the great Papyrus would jump straight into action. Or... maybe he would reel in shock for a few moments and  _then_ take control. 

"Sans!?" Papyrus' jaw hit the floor as he laid eyes on the most emotion Sans has shown him in years. "A-are you alright? What's going on?" He placed his hands firmly on the trembling skeleton before him.

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm so sorry." Sans rambled, his sentences turning to mush as fear seemed to grip him. 

Papyrus lifted his brother into the air and shook him, trying to get through the flowing tears to the frightened skeleton within. "Sans, calm down! Whatever's happening we can talk about it, so just clam down and tell me what's wrong." 

Papyrus felt a violent shiver run through Sans as the now incoherent rambling devolved to broken whimpers. He set his jaw and carried the smaller skeleton with him around the house, not leaving him for a second. Not that he had a choice with the death grip on his clavicle. 

He gathered up an assortment of items, including the fluffiest blanket he could find, a mug of steaming ketchup (Sans you need a better diet), and a scented candle. (Smells like spaghetti!) 

Sans was abruptly deposited on the couch and firmly wrapped in the fluffy ocean of a blanket while the candle was lit and placed on the sofa table. Papyrus plopped down beside his brother and took a deep calming breath, while mentally noting the still trailing tears. "What's the matter?"

Sans roughly wiped away the wetness, only to squeeze his eyes shut and let them flow once more. This process was repeated for so long, Papyrus was beginning to wonder whether or not he was going to get an answer, when suddenly a broken voice filled the room.

"m'sorry Paps..." 

"For what?" He asked as level headedly as he could.

Sans' gazed probably could've burned a hole in the floor. "You shouldn't have had to see that." 

"Sans, why would you keep- ...whatever THIS is, all to yourself?" Papyrus asked before he could stop himself. No going back now. "Why would you make yourself suffer alone?"

"Suffer... alone?" Sans must have noticed the blazing rant organizing itself in his brother's head, because he continued quickly. "I-I just didn't want... I didn't want to bring you down with all this depressing mental crap..." 

A tense moment of silence passed over them like a shadow. "If you didn't want to bring down the great Papyrus' greatness, then what do you think you were doing to me before?"

Confusion clouded the fluff wrapped skeleton's gaze.

"Watching you close yourself off from your friends... from me... just to wallow in your own self pity and regret... along with whatever else you're feeling- don't get me wrong, it must be very hard on you. But don't you think talking with someone, especially the great Papyrus, would help?" He offered a calming smile before continuing. "So why don't we start now? What has been bothering you for so long, brother?" 

Sans seemed to wage war upon himself internally, and after a few moments of uncomfortable silence, his gaze shifted to a reluctant resignation. "I don't expect you to understand... but," a moment was taken to chug half the ketchup, "how would you feel if I were to die?"

Papyrus' eyes widened. "If you were to- why would you die? What's going on?" He internally winced at how his voice went up an octave.

"No, it's just, uh hypothetically speaking." Came the reply. Sans sipped Ketchup quietly while he awaited an answer. 

"Of course I would be devastated! Traumatized! Overwhelmed with grief! Broken, depressed, crying tears of anguish, disquiet, overcome with angst- shall I go on?" Papyrus rambled, somewhat pleased with his colorful vocabulary display. 

Sans chuckled humorlessly, sending Papyrus' worry to the stars. "That's pretty much how I felt. Every single time."

Plural? So Sans was having nightmares about him dying? That seemed quite traumatizing to him, but perhaps not worth  _this_ much fuss. What was he thinking? It's probably one of the more gruesome nightmares... "If you were having so many nightmares then-"

 **"They're not nightmares."** Sans interrupted, his tone seeming to permeate the air and weave through Papyrus' skull, sending violent tremors up his spine. "I don't even know how many times I've watched you turn to dust in the snow... heh... all the fault of that single kid. Who knows why Toriel isn't dust yet. She probably wouldn't even fight it. 

"W-what? Who is this 'kid' that... killed me? That would hurt Toriel? And... if you aren't seeing nightmare's how would you see me die? I'm right here..." Papyrus stammered out. 

Sans regarded him for a second, before throwing caution to the wind. "Frisk killed you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WHEW that was rough I hope you enjoyed please leave comments be my spell check or if something got messed up in the plot have a nice day and happy shipping! *heavy breathing*


	3. Human nature

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> flash back!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's short I tend to write in stops and starts for some reason

Sans felt his soul constrict at the utter confusion written all over his face. It only made him feel worse that Papyrus was actually trying to understand. He never would. There was no proof but himself. If anyone else went through the hundreds of resets he did, they would most likely be bordering insanity. 

He was close. That's for sure.

"W-what do you... Frisk wouldn't... I don't... understand." Papyrus stammered out. He could practically see the gears turning in his head. 

Sans took a deep breath for absolutely no reason with absolutely no benifets. "You remember when you fought Frisk, right?"

"Of course." 

"And the color of their soul. It was red, right?"

"Where are you going with this?"

Sans' blanket fell from his shoulders in a heap. "Red means determination. Determination is more powerful than you could ever imagine, Papyrus." The smaller skeleton eyed the floor in regretful resignation. "Truthfully, you've experienced it firsthand. More times than I can count in fact."

Papyrus finally snapped out of his confused stupor. "Stop doing that confusing roundabout thing! Explain so I can understand. I love puzzles but this isn't the time, Sans!" He crossed his arms indignantly.

There was a mere shrug in reply. "I don't usually practice explaining all that often, you know." Papyrus huffed in annoyance, yet still forced to agree. "I'll start from the beginning then, and go on from there." 

* * *

** _Before the resets**_

_  
_

Sans felt himself nodding off even though he was sitting in an ankle deep mound of snow. Papyrus was right when he accused him of sleeping too much- especially on the job. What was he expected to do? His job? Nothing but watching an empty path for hours on end. How exciting. 

But what would he do if a human ever did fall? Play a prank probably. Sans chuckled as he recalled one of the more humerus (Never gets old) joy buzzer opportunities he had so kindly taken action upon. It truly was-

Snow crunched loudly from somewhere up the path. Sans blanked out for a moment, before slipping into the forest's looming shadows.  _If snowdrake shows up one more time..._ Sans thought to himself while pulling an iscicle from it's perch,  _there is snow way he's getting out of the 'it's ice to see you' joke._

Sans peeked around a thick trunk, and his soul seemed to constrict with swirling emotions he couldn't place.  _An... actual human...?_

He dropped the ice and began tailing the unsuspecting visitor. After a short distance, Sans noticed a thick stick laying among the human's forgotten footprints. After a moment of caution battling mischief, he gripped it with his magic and snapped it in two, relishing the way the human spun around like lightning.

"who... WHO'S THEre...?" They shakily called out, sentence losing it's fierce demand toward the end. After a moment of tense silence, they turned and continued down the path, looking back frequently. 

Against his better judgement, Sans quickly shortcutted to the path and back, making sure to loudly crunch the snow as he went. The human now rushed ahead and only slowed to a stop at Papyrus' gate. 

Sans took the oppurtunity in full and slowly stalked up behind them. The human seemed stiff with fear. 

" _Human."_ Sans said, his voice low and grave.  _"Don't you know how to greet a new pal?"_ The human stiffened noticeably.  _"Turn around and shake my hand."_ At a snail's pace, they turned and when they moved no further, Sans held his hand out in anticipation. 

As he watched their hand reach for his own, he mentally counted off the seconds until the best part. 

The human jerked with surprise while Sans barely held back his laughter. "The old whoopee cushion in the hand trick. It's  _always_ funny." He disconnected their hands. "Anyways, you're a human right? That's hilarious." 

Sans paused for barely a second in confusion. There was a tight nervousness deep within his soul that he couldn't place, but he brushed it off for now. "I'm Sans. Sans the skeleton," he continued, "I'm actually supposed to be on watch for humans right now, but... y'know... I don't really care about capturing anybody." 

The human took a breath in a desperate attempt to fit in words between Sans' monologuing, but was cut off. 

"Now my brother, Papyrus... he's a human-hunting  _fanatic."_   Sans spotted his brother's shape in the distance. "Hey, actually, I think that's him over there." 

Sans ignored the sudden stab of fear.  _What's going on?_

"I've got an idea. go through this gate thingy. Yeah go right through. My bro made the bars way too wide to stop anyone." The human nervously turned and did as instructed while Sans followed loosly from behind. 

He wasn't sure what came over him, but he suddenly wanted to keep the human  _far_ away from his brother.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It would be appreciated if someone could give me some plot ideas.


	4. Here we go

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More underground flashback

Sans felt something deep within him snap as he stood over Papyrus' dust. 

_How many times has it been?_

He bent down and gently lifted the crimson scarf from the snow.

_How many times have they killed Papyrus?_

Sans gently ran his phalanges across the fabric.

**_How many times... have they killed me?_ **

Sans wrapped the scarf around his face, tracing after the human's footprints. He briefly considered just dusting himself instead of going along with whatever creepy antics the kid was up to, but as usual, he couldn't afford not to care. Maybe after the human died a few more times in the final corridor, they'd finally give up. Or maybe they'd kill everyone and then finally leave them all for dead. 

Wasn't that a nice thought. 

Sans rounded the corner just in time to see the kid spare Shyren. 

_why?_

Shyren melted to the cave floor in relief.

_Why spare her, but not Papyrus?_

The human smirked and moved on without looking back.

_He never did anything to you..._

Sans trailed after, while Shyren scurried away from his rattling bones.

_So why did he have to die?_

He watched as the human killed monster after monster then on, not leaving a single soul to roam free. This definetly wasn't the first time. What did the kid even expect to gain from this? With every reset they started right back at the beginning. Back with nothing. All the way back with that dirty bandage across their face in a field of flowers. 

The kid looked innocent, but only he knew the truth. Sans had tried telling someone before, but it didn't change much. At one point, he had convinced a good section of the royal guard that the human was dangerous, but they weren't careful enough. 

Sans sighed as the kid skipped their way into the core, all the while humming some tune from the surface. 

_When will it end? When will they finally be satisfied and leave us alone? You've already taken every path. You've already found every secret, heard every word. You even showed us the sun. So what are you looking for?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry that took so long. I feel really bad too since this is so short, but the next one will be longer I swear


	5. Let's get down to buisness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More flashback. Sorry if anyone's getting fed up with it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just posted twice in one day aren't you proud

Sans teleported to the final corridor just in time to hear the kid chuckling to themselves. It was another one of those then. He was about to start off with his ramble of birds and trees, but he was cut off.

"Oh Sans, it's so sweet of you to keep coming to meet me here. I would've thought you'd be bored by now, but it seems I was mistaken." 

"...I hate you." He quietly replied. 

Frisk burst out laughing. "That's adorable Sansy! What is this, a final act of defiance before you crumble away?" They brandished the knife and strode toward him. "I will never allow you to get away from me, my dear skeleton. You, along with everyone else, are trapped here for as long as I desire. None of you can even do anything about it. You're all nothing but toys." They stood inches away from Sans now. "But out of all my toys... you are my favourite." The knife was pointed right in his face.

He kept his shaking hands within his pockets. "I never wanted to be." 

"Of course not." Frisk replied with a grin. "This has- and always will be- your inevitable fate. It's a constant dance between us, Sans. I'll come in with my unparalleled determination, and you'll parry with your magic! You, my friend, are the only real challenge here."

Sans kept on his trademark grin, though he couldn't help but let his eye lights flicker out. "What about Undyne? She was determined." 

Frisk waved a hand in dismissal. "Undyne? Is that a joke? Alright. While she was a nice challenge in the beginning, eventually it just got old. Her attacks got old. The repetition got old."

"Then-"

" _however,_ that doesn't mean I won't stop coming for you. Everyone else? They became predictable, far too fast for my liking. But you... you remember all of it. You remember every little thing I did, and for awhile, you let that fuel yourself in battle. Am I right?" 

Sans' grin stretched wider. "..."

The knife twirled in their dusty hands. "I think we're finished monologing, so why don't we get started?" Frisk slashed the knife right where Sans had been standing moments before, and chuckled when Sans reappeared much farther away then necessary.

Sans sent twisting and turning bone attack, while staring into empty space. 

Frisk dodged easily. "Aw~ getting tired already?" 

A combination of blue and normal attacks were sent as fast as they could go. "Yeah. Tired of you." 

Barely any HP was lost. Frisk got hit on purpose. "That's so mean Sansy. You hurt my feelings!" Another stab. Miss. Laughter.

Five Gaster Blasters were summoned and fired simutaneously, while a series of blue attacks got in the way of almost all escape routes. "That's the point." 

Frisk made it out, but it was a close call. They're getting cocky. "Then let me return the favour, trashbag!" They made a beeline for Sans and threw the knife, where it was barely dodged and instead clattered loudly against the wall. Yet Frisk didn't stop running for Sans. They pulled a toy knife out of their pocket and lunged for Sans, scraping along his sternum but inflicting no damage. 

Sans tried not to let the fact that he could die from a toy bother him. 

Frisk clicked their tongue in mock anger. "Missed again. Close though! I'll try again later." They went to retrieve the real knife, but was interupted by another blaster. "That's better!" 

They switched back and forth. One moment, Frisk was lunging at him in pure excitement, and the next mazes of bones and blasters soared through the air while the human flipped and twisted through almost all of them. 

Both skeleton and human were now breathing heavily, though the kid was even more breathless since they were doubled over with giddy laughter. 

"I...hahaha... love the time... ha... we spend here... huff... Sans...!" Frisk panted, rubbing idly at their wrist. 

Humorless chuckles escaped him. "Then... you're the only... huff..." Sans paused to cough heavily. "One." 

A smile so full of emotions he could not name graced Frisk's features. "Oh Sans... you have no idea...! Who else I've got..." 

Sans snapped to attention against his will. "Someone else?"

Frisk giggled. "Interested? Too bad. I think I'll keep it a secret a little longer." 

"Keep it forever. I don't care." Sans spat. 

The kid pouted and ran their finger along the knife's sharp edge. "That's no fun Sans... it's just a game. You're supposed to pl-"

"YOU'RE TOYING WITH PEOPLE'S LIVES!" He shouted. Sans' entire body trembled. "That's all you ever do! Mess around! Screw people up! I'm sick and tired of everything...!" His voice broke. "I'm tired of it. I'm so... I'm so tired..." 

Sans fell to his knees. Frisk seemed genuinely surprised by his sudden outburst. 

He couldn't keep it bottled anymore. Sans choked out broken sobs, right in front of his harbringer of death. The only sound within the final corridor, was Sans' moans of despair and the hard clicking of shoes on tile. Frisk lightly placed a hand atop his head and gently began petting him. Sans slapped it away and growled threateningly, though it sounded more like a whimper. 

The human almost seemed hurt at the rejection, but soon resumed that twisted grin. "Isn't being with the people you love what you wanted?" They held out a hand. "You loved Frisk before, didn't you? It was so cute... the faces you made for them... but you never knew what they carried with them. 

"It's almost like a cliche love story from Mettaton's lame show." Frisk twirled and wrapped their arms around themself, dropping their voice in imitation of Sans. "Oh, Frisk, my love, you must overcome this demon within you!" They hopped a little to the left and continued, in a higher pitch. "But, Sans, my love, I cannot! I have tried with all my might, but in the end the demon's hunger is like a burning flame that my determination cannot extinguish." 

"Demon...?"

Grin stretched to smirk. "Yes Sansy, demon. So you are paying attention. All that time that you spent sleeping in the sun, Frisk was battling a demon. Frisk was battling me. Aren't you surprised? Aren't you proud of me for finally overcoming that little goody goody pest?" 

Sans struggled to stand before replying. "They weren't a pest. They were... my best friend. And I know you said 'demon', but... don't you feel any sort of sadness at all the death and destruction you caused? All you had to do was make a different choice, and you would've been the most popular and loved person in the underground... so why choose LOVE over love?"

"...You would never understand." The demon replied. Before Sans could react, the toy knife was buried within him, while the real one was plunged into Frisk.

Suddenly, the smirk was gone and was replaced by tears and sobs. "I'm so sorry Sans..." Frisk- the  _real_ Frisk- fell to the floor. "I'm so so so sorry." 

Sans crumpled away into dust, while a whispered "me too" went unheard golden corridor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's getting goood~


	6. wanna have a sad time?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans plays a game

Sans kicked his legs as his eyes drooped and body swayed. This probably wasn't the best place to sit, nor take a nap, but he hadn't exactly been caring much about anything other than Papyrus and Frisk for the past thousand resets or so. Ever since the demon admitted to taking over Frisk's body, they would always reset before they reached him. Sometimes the demon would go as far as the first pillar, then smile that disgusting smile and reset again. 

This reset would be the one where he found some answers. 

He was tired of waiting and watching as the demon destroyed his life. Sans was so tired. He was always tired. Before the resets started seemed like a distant dream that he couldn't reach. It was the best dream he'd ever had. And the last.

An echoing laughter brought him out of his depressed reverie and back to his reality, which was no better. Sans looked down from the branch he was sitting on and spotted the kid looking back up at him with barely repressed laughter. 

"What? Are you a cat now? Did you get scared and run way up there?" Another fit of laughter. "How did you even get so high without falling?"

Sans teleported right behind the demon and shoved it into the tree he was sitting in moments before. "Was waitin' for you." 

"Aw. How cute. You're like a little house pet now, waiting for his master." 

A skeletal hand wrapped around the throat of the demon with a vice like grip. "I want answers, not petty insults. Who are you, demon? And what did you do with Frisk?" They were pressed harder into the tree, while they stubbornly smirked. "Answer me."

They spoke past his grip, not that Sans planned on loosening it. "Since when..." Their grin faded a moment.  **"Since when were you the one in control?"**

Sans leapt backward as a toy knife narrowly missed his fragile bones, while the demon laughed uncontrollably and lunged again. And again. And again. A neverending pattern of dodges and swipes. "What are you trying to accomplish by doing this?" Sans growled past pants of exhaustion. 

The demon didn't grace his question with an answer, but instead decided to play a game. "I'll tell you two different things. One is true, but the other is a lie. You have until I reach the final corridor to tell me which one you think is the true one and if you're right..." Frisk flashed across the human's face. "I'll give you some time alone together. How's that sound?"

Sans held himself back from leaping and begging at the chance.  _Think logically._ "How do I know that they're both not lies?"

"Do you really think so low of me, Sansy?"

Humorless chuckles escaped him. "You make it pretty hard not to." Sans sighed deeply, out of options. "But I'll play your game, freak." 

The demon clapped their hands in delight. "I can't wait! I'll see you then, Sans! Don't forget to  _think!_ Here goes." They cleared their throat several times. "For the first option... Frisk had me inside all along, but I only came in power recently. Your second option, I was born from Frisk's negative emotions and determination. Afterall, even a weak pacifist like Frisk is human, and humans make mistakes." The demon pried away his now loose fingers and skipped back to the snowy path. "I'll be eagerly awaiting your answer in the final corridor, my dear!" 

Sans didn't bother replying to the demon, but mostly because he was too focused on the scenarios. He desperatly wanted it to be the first option, but that was merely putting his emotions and desires in the way of the true answer. He definetly wasn't blind. Frisk had negative emotions, but those emotions rarely affected their actions and words. Was this demon the result of Frisk bottling up too much of their feelings? But simple jelousy of another family seemed much too miniscule to be the cause of something as extreme as this living hell.

But if Frisk had the demon all along why wouldn't it have surfaced sooner?

Nothing made sense. 

But he had to make the right descision.

For Frisk's sake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was thinking about this non stop all day and I finally got some good ideas. Sorry it's short though.


	7. Lay them down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Let's see if he gets it right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just sat here for like fifteen minutes all like 'To fail, or not to fail? That is the question.'

Sans kept his shaking hands buried deep within his pockets. He couldn't afford to screw this up. The demon had even taken their time, going slow to stretch out what would normally have only taken an hour or two with their practice. However, the extra time was only more chances to second guess himself. Sans was far too afraid of being wrong, that it made it hard to think straight. The only thing running through his mind that made sense, was  _last chance last chance don't screw it up._

The tapping of bone against piller was the only sound in the final corridor as he waited for the demon to show it's ugly face. Sans ignored the tight feeling on his soul, instead focusing on the answer he had chosen. He told himself that his emotions had no part in his desicion, but it was obvious to both him, and the demon that stood snickering at the other end of the shining corridor. 

"I see that you're early. You must be pretty eager." They said, voice light and airy as if teasing a puppy.

_Steady. Calm down._

"...I pick... the first option. You were within Frisk all along." Sans replied, his voice betraying his calm expression. The guffaw that erupted from the demon didn't help his nerves (heh) either. 

The demon swept into a graceful bow and muttered, "You'll regret this." Before shooting straight upright and leaping into Sans' arms.

Frisk was back.

Frisk was finally back!

"Sans!" They cried, glomping him into a bone crushing hug. "I'm so sorry! I am  _so_ sorry!" 

"Me too." He replied at once. "I'm sorry too. I couldn't... I didn't... oh _stars_ I missed you so much...!"  

The kid pushed him back and kept their hands on his shoulders, locking eyes while tears streamed down both their faces. "Sans, you have to listen to me. The demon's name is Chara, and they're not after what you think they want. Chara wants to find someone named... Gaster." Frisk didn't miss the way Sans' eye lights flickered out for a split second.

"Why though?"

They shook their head. "I'm not sure. We may share the same body, but our minds are completely seperate. Sans... who is Gaster? I don't understand why Chara would want to find him so much... and somehow they linked him to you and I don't understand what's going on- but I'm still sorry! I can still apologize even if I don't understand bec-"

"Hey, hey, calm down. First of all, why are you sorry?" Sans interrupted, internally hurting to see Frisk's face twisting in fear. 

"B-because..." They spoke past stuttering sobs. "I couldn't keep Chara away... and... and they hurt you."

Tears were brushed away as thin phalanges lightly caressed their face. "That's not your fault. But why didn't you tell me? I could've helped you... I could've done... I don't know.  _Something_ to prevent this." 

Another bone crushing hug. "I thought I could do it. But Chara was just faking. It honestly looked like they were trying with all their might. I didn't know they were this powerful... I let my guard down when it mattered most. I thought I could handle it, but... but I couldn't! You're right! I should've asked you. I should've told someone. I can't do this on my own!" Their voice rose to a shout and devolved into broken sobs of fear. 

Sans patted their back soothingly, while damming up his own emotions. "It's not your fault. The demon is a liar and a fake, and none of this is your fault. It's all the plotting of the freak." 

Frisk looked him in the eye once more. "But they're not a demon, Sans." They rejected. "Their name is Chara, and they used to be a human just like me. They're just confused... or... or something. There's  _no way_ someone could hurt so many people like this without there being some other factor in it all..."

"Wait, if they used to be a human, how did they end up inside you?" Sans asked, urgency filling his voice. 

Frisk flinched. "When I first came-" They were cut off by a coughing fit that shook their tiny form and chilled Sans to the bone.  _running out of time._ "When I first came *COUGH* to the underground, Chara- *COUGH* was the... very first person I met. They were... *COUGH* a ghost. They were nice at first too, but then-"

The kid fell to the floor and spasmed in a heap of limbs. When they stood back up, the disgusting grin was back. 

"Did'ja miss me, Sans?" The demon- Chara asked with an airy voice. 

"Not in the slightest." The skeleton replied, not missing a beat. 

They sighed... nostalgically? "That was really cute, but we should get down to buisness." They whipped out the knife, but this time, they didn't move so fast. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know in the comments if anyone wants to see what would've happened if Sans didn't get it right. Nothing too special, but, hey, whatever floats your boat.


	8. Other choice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is basically just what would have happened if Sans had chosen wrong. This chapter does not affect the plot in any way, it's only me showing off my epic plot skill! (*cough* that's totally true... I mean... yeah...? I have good plot skill...? Yeah...?)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Someone asked for it and I'm like 'I have no life and I have no friends so why not?' Also, this is kinda gorey (gory?) so beware.

Sans prowled the final corridor while a metaphorical time bomb was ticking away in his skull. He couldn't afford to screw this up. Not for Frisk. Not for Papyrus. They were depending on him to get it right. 

Sudden laughter snapped him to attention as he spotted the disgusting face of the demon strutting toward him. "Guesswork? Genius? Let's find out." They joked. 

"Clam it, freak. Unlike you I have something I need to be doing right now." Sans retorted. They opened their mouth to mock him again, but they were cut off. "I pick the second option, that you were born from a mix of Frisk's negative feelings and determination." 

Heavy silence was cast over them like a wet blanket over a fire. 

The demon doubled over with laughter and didn't come back up until they were red in the face. "Wow Sans! This is unbelieveable!" They wheezed. "You are so unpredictable I love it!" 

Sans watched in mixed horror and relief as one side of the kid's face belonged to Frisk while the other was occupied with the demon. Tears ran from Frisk's side while the demon merely grinned at him, observing his fear struck face. 

"S-sans... plea- please... this h-hurts..." Frisk forced out, trembling while the demon didn't even wince. 

It took him a moment to find his voice. "H...Hey! Stop it already! You're just hurting yourself by doing this." 

A knife was revealed from the demon's hand, and before he could react, was slashed across Frisk's side of the face, cutting cleanly through their cheek as they screamed. Sans gasped in fear, screaming as well while crimson blood spattered the floor in a gruesome display. 

"Oh look." The demon said, face fallen flat. "A modern art display." 

With voice finally found, Sans' rage overcame him. "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING TO THEM?" He shreiked, the raised volume catching attention as it always did, seeing that he rarely rose his voice. 

They grinned sweetly. "This is punishment for getting it wrong." 

"You never said anything about-"

"Sans... p-please..." Frisk groaned through their words. "J-just kill us... and make it s-stop. Please-" Another cut, too close to the eye for his liking. It was just a scratch though, not as bad as the first. 

He shook his head. "I don't want to kill you... just that damned freak!" 

Frisk was losing resolve quickly. "We're the same person! You heard t-them! They were- *cough* inside all a-along." The demon seemed to be contemplating where to cut next. "Just do it a-already!" 

"No... no... I-I... nonono...!" Sans protested weakly. 

_This is why I can never be happy._

He screamed in rage and launched thousands of bones without aiming. 

Without looking.

Without thinking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have fun you gore lovers! Actually I'm not even sure if this is actual gore, or if it's just gore to me because I'm a pacifist wimp...


	9. wooooaaaaahhhh

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Let's talk to Grillby, and then chat with a demon over a spot of tea~

_Think carefully._ Sans thought to himself.  _Chara entered Frisk as soon as they fell underground, right? And Chara was nice at first, but eventually they... turned into the demon. But how? And why? And how would Gaster of all people fit into this? I know he's got some major issues, but that doesn't make him desirable... and wouldn't Gaster's experiments with determination make Chara want to stay away? And how'd they hear of Gaster in the first place? I thought he was erased._

Sans rubbed a bony hand over his face in frusteration.  _There's too many questions... meeting with Frisk barely solved anything... there wasn't enough time to sort everything out... and there's no way Chara would be willing to answer anything._

"Forget it." He snapped at the empty air of Snowdin. "M'goin' to Grillby's." Sans teleported to just behind the bar and moved around the front, only to see that the bar was already empty. Did the freak already sweep Snowdin? They're getting faster. That meant...

_Papyrus._

_Don't think about it._

Sans went in anyway, taking his usual seat and running his phalanges over the jagged cracks in the table's surface. For some reason, sitting here always helped him think, and organize his thoughts. He lay his head on the scuffed surface and before he could stop it, the tears were flowing and he was gasping for breath he didn't need. 

Suddenly there was a hand on his shoulder and he was falling out of his stool in fear, already tapping into his magic when he realized it was Grillby, still here even with the rest of Snowdin evacuated or dead. 

"...G-grillby...?" Sans stuttered. During all the resets, he had come to memorize just about everyone's schedule. He was temporarily stunned by the fact that he didn't notice walking fire wandering about Snowdin. "What are you still doing here?"

"...I could ask you the same question." Came the reply. "But I won't. You're obviously hurting... I can understand. Papyrus was wonderful..." 

Sans felt a jab of fear at the loss of Papyrus, and a surge of misdirected anger toward Grillby for understanding so little. "Shut up. You of all people wouldn't know what I've been through." He spat, standing shakily from the floor. 

Fiery hands lifted in surrender. "I didn't mean to offend you..." He crackled softly. "If... if you need to talk however, I'm here for you." 

Sans almost laughed out loud. Instead broken sobs welled from him against his will. "N-no. I do- I don't need t-to... I don't..." He weakly protested as Grillby wrapped him in a flaming hug that dried the clothes that he hadn't even noticed were wet. 

They stayed like that for longer than Sans could keep track of. When his sobs finally devolved into weak whimpers, he was released and deposited into one of the cleaner booths while Grillby retreated through the door behind the counter, only to return with a bottle of ketchup. 

Sans chuckled weakly. "You know me too well." He said, voice still hoarse. Gratefully accepting the ketchup, he guzzled it until not a drop was left. 

"I have more if you want it." Grillby said after a moment of silence. "No one else is going to eat it anyway." He added sourly. 

"Yeah. Thanks. Thanks alot." Sans replied. thumping his head on the table again. When Grillby returned, it was with three bottles. Sans drained two then repeatedly thumped his head against the wall while nursing the third. 

A trail of smoke left Grillby as he sighed. "You're going to put a dent in both your head, and the wall." 

"Don't." *thump* "Give." *thump* "A." *thump* "Crap." *thump* "Anymore!" *THUD* Sans put his head between his legs while rubbing his sore skull. "That's going to hurt in the morning.  _If the demon even takes an entire day. Chara. Damn it Chara. Sent you to hell once, I'll do it again..._

The elemental removed his glasses and rubbed where the bridge of his nose would have been. "I know you're upset, but that's no reason to crack your skull. So what were you mumbling about?"

 _Crap did I say that hell thing out loud?_ "Mumbling what?"

"I didn't catch all of it... something like 'takes an entire day' and 'hell once I'll do it again'." Grillby mumbled. "It's fine if you'd rather not..."

"Grillby. Grillbz. Grill bee. G.B. Fire dude. Hypothetically speaking, what if everyone in the underground died day after day? What would you do in my shoes?" Sans spoke suddenly.

"..." Grillby seemed confused. And concerned. "Is there something you're not telling me?"

"...yeah." Sans said slowly. "Everyone is dying because of a demon. Now answer the question." 

"...what kind of demon?"

"...It's disguised as someone you love."

He didn't miss the regret that flickered across the flames. "...Then I suppose...I would have to prepare myself mentally with the fact that it's really not the one I love." 

_...that didn't help much._

"Thanks Grillbz. I think I should get going now." Sans didn't bother walking out the door before he teleported to the final corridor. 

_No one's gonna give me answers, so I'll gamble for them instead._

About five minutes later, Chara wandered into the corridor.

"I've got a proposal." Sans spoke before the demon had a chance to mock him again.

They giggled softly. "What would that be?" 

_Let's hope I don't regret this._

"If I can raise my HP, you have to give Frisk back their body."

Chara rolled their eyes dissmissively. "All you'd have to do is kill like two vulkins. That's not enough." They grinned like the devil. "Instead, how about  _you_ do the genocide run?"

"...What?"

They swept their arms wide. "Just think about it! I've been the one doing all the work... but what if you went through killing everyone? That would make  _everything_ so much more  _interesting._ " 

He ignored the chills that ran up his spine. "No. I would never kill Papyrus." 

"Papyrus, Papyrus, Papyrus. I swear he's all you talk about." Chara complained. "How about this then, Papyrus stays alive, but he has to follow you throughout the underground and watch you kill everyone." 

"No. I could never hurt him like that." 

"So  _stubborn._ You're lucky I'm feeling so generous today. Ah, but then again it's today everyday." The demon twirled the knife in thought. "Then instead, how about Papyrus watches you fight  _me?_ That's my final offer or the deal's off." 

He shoved away the raging storm in his mind. "Fine. I'll do it."  _Please no..._

"I'll be looking forward to it!" 

_stars I don't want to do this..._

"You look forward to everything."

_Please forgive me..._

"Fair point." 

_Papyrus..._

"Get out of here, trash."

_Frisk._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can you believe I wrote this while listening to the main screen music on BTD5?


	10. Let the genocide begin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawg I'm having too much fun

Who knew skeletons could hyperventilate? Sans didn't, before now. But as he stood before the looming doors of the ruins, every breath came in a short gasp of fear of what was to come. 

_Greater good, greater good, great good, it'll just be reset... Frisk will be back, then they'll reset and then they'll do a pacifist run and everyone will make it out, then we'll all be okay... right...?_

Sans' Gaster blaster had been hovering over his head for probably five minutes now. His plan was to break down the door with the blaster, then do a sweep of the ruins with bones. The plan was simple, more simple than anything he had thought up before, yet it was the hardest thing he had ever done. Even with the knowledge of resets, he still couldn't bring himself to kill like the demon did. All it would take is a single round,  _maybe_ two, and it would be over. 

Skeletal hands shook in the chilled air as Sans' mental bickering went on. It was agreed that the demon would convince Toriel to stay with them where they first fell while Sans did his sweep, but the mere thought of seeing Toriel- anyone for that matter- after what he had agreed to do, made his legs quake and his eye lights flicker out. 

_breathe... just breathe... It'll be over soon enough. You can do it._

Sans held his breath and tapped into his magic, urging the blaster closer to the purple doors. 

_3..._

_2..._

_1..._

_...........silence........_

_Why can't I just do it?_ Sans angrily kicked the doors while the blaster constantly sucked up his magic. He was wasting time. If he didn't go through soon, Chara would probably just kill everyone in the ruins themselves.  _I can't let that happen._ He gathered his magic for a second time, and pictured the ugly demon instead of those innocent purple doors, and the deafening boom of the blaster echoed throughout the forest. 

He didn't feel any better than he did before. If anything he felt  _so much_ worse. Sans was really going to do the demon's job for them, wasn't he? Wow. He sure sunk low. Sans stepped lightly over the burning remains of the bridge and blinked a few times in surprise. 

_So this is what's over here._

While he had met Toriel in every pacifist run, he had never felt the need to venture through the ruins that held her prisoner. Sans instead felt that it was fulfilling enough to listen to her lonesome descriptions of snaking purple halls and decaying vines. 

Sans shook his skull to clear his thoughts, but instead succeeded in giving himself a migraine. _Fantastic. Just add to the list and I'll be on my way to dusting myself._ The soft tapping of his footsteps was the only indication that anyone had arrived. Otherwise, the hall was spotless with little or no paint flaws. While he continued, somewhere in the back of his mind, he was taking notes.  _takes a right. Kinda sloped... It's dark._ Sans' eye caught light filtering in through a room above to settle upon a large stair case that wound it's way up the walls. 

His skeletal hand traced the wall as he climbed, stomach doing flips if he had one. Sans found himself in a small room with two other halls branching off of it, with a tall wood door leading outside, judging by the tiny windows that he was almost too short for. 

He explored the house, making note of the ripped sheets on Tori's bed, chuckling at the puns she had written in the journal, and crouching next to the fire despite not having skin. Sans sighed, deep and heavy, before making his way to the front door, and stepping lightly out of the comforts of this tiny home, for a monster with such a big heart.

 

 

 

Sans' level had gone up twice now. 

He loved the way he had extra magic that flowed off him in waves, and he hated himself for loving it.  _Is this why they kill?_ It was disgusting but he could relate to the demon now. He could see the benefit they had for killing. It gave more power. It gave reassurance in the form of more HP. It even gave a sense of superiority over other monsters. Sans hated himself more than ever before.

His phalanges had been coated in dust, as had his favorite jacket. Well, not so favorite anymore. Now he wanted to throw it on the ground and burn it to a crisp, and yet... he didn't dare. It belonged to his mother after all. And here he was tainting it.

Sans had cleared out all of the ruins, shame and self loathing building higher and higher with every step forward he took. Distant conversation could be heard as he made his way toward some sort of grey pillar formation. He picked up a few lines. 

"...but I don't see how you  _couldn't_ use a frog as a shoelace." 

"My child, frogs do not belong on shoes!"

"We could make them belong, like a family welcoming an orphan!"

"That's very sweet... but what if the frog doesn't  _want_ to be a shoelace?"

"Are you  _kidding me?_ Everybody wants to be a shoelace!" Chara exclaimed, and slowly turned to Sans as he rounded the corner into the room of golden flowers. "Even him." 

Bone pierced flesh before anyone could even blink.

Toriel gasped and her eyes went wide. "M-my... child...! Please run!"

Chara giggled, dropping the innocent child act and instead slipping on their disgusting face. "But  _mother,_ he's with me! I want you to meet Sans. Sans Serif. You know him already though, don't you?" They pulled Sans closer by the sleeve, while he pulled out of their grasp by muscle memory (heh...). "Say hello Sans." 

He ignored the tears streaming down his face, and focused in on the self loathing and hate crashing through him like a tsunami. "I'm sorry, Toriel." 

Recognition flashed across her face at once, but no words escaped her. Dust can not speak, after all. 

Chara turned to him and patted him on the back. "I'm so proud. They grow up so fast." They said, wiping imaginary tears from their eyes. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't stop writing Sans' name as Snas


	11. It's a bird! It's a plane! It's a- IT'S A FISH EVERYONE RUN

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *Angry fish noises*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if I messed up her character, I'm not used to writing fish

Sans sidestepped just in time to avoid the spear that flew past his skull, then parried her next round of attacks with his own bones. 

"TRAITOR! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'VE EVEN DONE?" Undyne screamed. She was filled with rage at what he had done. Sans was as well. Countless times he had considered just ceasing all movement and letting her have her way with him. He wanted his bones broken, he wanted his sins to swallow him whole. He wanted to stop. 

_I'm so tired._

But even if he did die, the kid would just reset and nothing would change. This was his only chance to get Frisk back. His only chance for Papyrus to be happy. The one time a happy ending was truly in his grasp. 

"You would never believe me." He said, though he knew it would just anger her. Sans wanted to apologize, to fall to the ground and confess everything then beg for forgiveness- better yet turn to dust and never come back. 

Sans summoned a team of Gaster Blasters and sent them roaring after Undyne, mouths frothing with overcharged magic. She sent a flurry of spears after them, but they merely chipped or cracked instead of breaking like she planned. 

She's afraid. 

Undyne would never admit it to anyone, probably not even to herself, but she was afraid of him. Ever since they first met, Sans has been lazy and emotionless. When she used to ask him to spar, he would barely even try. A few bones there, a single bone there, and then he would collapse, feigning exhaustion. But now.  _But now._ His right eye light was gone entirely while the left was flared a deep cyan brighter than anything she had ever seen before. 

He had dual streams of tears trailing down his face. 

"WHAT ARE YOU THINKING, SANS?" She shouted. He couldn't bring himself to reply, so instead he fired more blasters, narrowly missing her core. She threw more spears than he had ever seen in his life while rushing at him from the other side. 

"Trapped... is what you thought, wasn't it?" Sans asked once he appeared right behind Undyne, who immediately swung around in outrage, aiming a spear for his head. "This is for the greater good... just trust me." He croaked, ducking a little too slow. He winced as it scraped his skull painfully, probably leaving a deep mark. 

Undyne summoned more spears, filling every space she could until she drooped with exhaustion. "HOW CAN I TRUST YOU AFTER WHAT YOU'VE DONE?" 

_How can I trust the demon? How can I trust myself? ...Why does Papyrus trust me?_

"You're right. You can't trust me." Sans sighed, before resuming his attacks. "But that doesn't mean I'm not doing this for a purpose."

"THEN JUST TELL ME! WHAT'S GOING ON SANS? YOU NEVER... YOU NEVER... YOU NEver......." Sans' eyes widened as the spears slowed to a stop, the entire room frozen in time other than the trickling water. "The entire time I've known you... it's like something has always been wrong. And I could ask you; 'what's going on, Sans?' And you would reply... 'oh nothing, I'm fine.'" 

"...Where are ya' going with this?" Sans whispered, just barely audible. 

Undyne glared at him with an intensity he had never been subjected to before. "There's something bigger going on here, isn't there?" She asked. "You would never do  _anything_ unless someone made you do it. I know you Sans... better than you think. You work hard if it matters. So just tell me... I hate you for what you've done... and I don't know if I can ever forgive you. But if I'm right... something big is going on here. Something you're not telling me. And you probably haven't told Papyrus. So just... what's going on?"

Sans trembled against his will. He could tell her. He could tell her everything and nothing was stopping him. But why should he?  _Oh well it's just, I'm supposed to kill everyone except for Papyrus and then fight a demon. Also, when I said everyone, that includes you._ Heh. Yeah no. Not happening. 

Undyne growled at his silence, along with his shaking limbs. "You missed your chance. Now repent for your sin." 

Sans teleported behind her again, but just as she turned to swipe at him once more, a bone was buried deep within her chest while karmic retribution did the rest. "I would love to, Undyne, but like you said... there's bigger things going on... I can't take any breaks yet." 

She fell to her knees, but lowered no further. "I... knew it. You only work for things... that matter." Her form wavered. Dust caught in the wind. "Just tell me this... what will you do... once you have what you worked for?"

"...I'll die." Sans whispered. He could never live happy after what he's done. 

"What about Paps? He... loves you...  you know." She was beginning to melt.

"...I don't deserve Papyrus. And he doesn't deserve a screwed up brother like me." 

"I hate sappy stuff... but you two were made for each other." Barely any of her was left. "So don't keep doing this Sans. Before you... before you do something... that you can't fix." 

"I can't go back now. I'm too close." Sans replied to the melted dust.

_You gained a level!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> you should listen to Please Don't Go by Joel Adams it's really good


	12. woofle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How about king fluffybuns? What's he doing?

Level eighteen. 

He ached with disgust. He wallowed in self loathing. He felt his sins.  _He loved to kill._

With every step Sans took he tried to convince himself that he wasn't like the demon. That he wasn't a heartless murderer like them. Yet, deep down within himself- where he was  _completely_ honest with himself, he knew they were the same. Chara started off the same way apparently. All they did was give in to desire. Sans was too close for comfort to doing the same thing. He had to finish this before it went beyond his control. 

Sans stood still for a moment in the glittering light of the final corridor. One more monster, then he would fight the demon. He chuckled humorlessly to himself. He was going to kill the king for the sake of the king himself. His entire life had been nothing but planning ahead for the sake of others. 

Even now, a plan was taking shape in his head.  _If I play my cards right, I can take care of Asgore and kill the demon pretty quickly... from then on it's helping Frisk get through the underground and free us. After that... I've had enough practice getting Tori and Asgore back together. Helping Unydne and Alphys through their fights as well. Once I'm done with all that... I don't think I'll stick around..._

Sans cut off that train of thought before he could get any more depressed than he already was. Now was not the time to dust himself. 

Echoing taps sounded through the corridor as Sans forced his legs to move. Asgore probably already knew what was going on, with Alphys' cameras strewn about. No doubt there would be some sort of hate or rejection there. Good.

Sans shortcutted to where he knew Asgore would be, and stood silently as shaky humming filtered through his skull. The tall goat seemed to be sobbing as he mechanically watered his flowers. Dark eye sockets first settled on the lonesome throne in the middle of the sea of flowers, then the dusty tarp in the corner. 

A skeletal hand knocked quietly on the wall, drawing a flinch from Asgore.

"That's you... isn't it Sans...?" The tall goat whispered deeply. 

"Technically you're supposed to say, 'who's there'," Sans chuckled humorlessly. "But that's good too... It is me after all." 

"...I already know what you're here for, but let me just ask you one question." Asgore turned slowly, slower than he had ever moved before until eyes full of...  _disappointment..._ settled upon Sans' hooded figure. "Why?"

Sans forced the tears not to come. "Why you ask?" He kept his face schooled into his trademark grin. "Heh. I could explain, but I would never expect you to believe what I have to say." 

Asgore took a few steps closer. "I am fairly positive that nothing you do can surprise me anymore. It's too late for surprises." 

A furry hand was rested lightly on his shoulder, and though no weight was put on it, Sans' legs quaked and threatened to fall under him. His breath quickened and his eyes narrowed, but he was determined not to show weakness this far in. "Heh. Too late for surprises huh? Well... ever heard of the name Chara?" Asgore's face tensed with roaring pain just under the surface. "They've got more to do with this than you think." 

Sans brushed the paw off and walked past Asgore, following the route he'd followed so many times before until he came to the barrier. He paused a moment to admire it, but it's surprisingly hard to stop and smell the flowers when you just finished killing all your friends. He sensed more than heard the king appear behind him.

"Would you care to elaborate on what you said before?" Asgore pressed. 

"If you win, I'll let ya' know." Not like it'll ever happen. 

"I'm not making bets with people's lives." Came the protest.

"Then stay in the comforting bliss of ignorance like everyone else. I never could, that's why I'm here, with all this dust coating my bones." He caught a glimpse of confusion on the king's face. "You don't understand, and I didn't think you would. That's fine. But we should get started before the demon gets here." 

Sans didn't give him another chance to speak, but instead sent a flurry of bones at the unsuspecting boss monster. KR worked it's magic while Asgore swiftly pulled his gleaming weapon from it's holster, seemingly out of sheer habit. He briefly contemplated the king's troubles before tossing it out of his mind to give the fight his focus. 

Sans fought for freedom and relief, while Asgore fought for his people and his knowledge. Both parties were determined and powerful, prepared for the worst and hoping for the best. 

Well... one of them had more hope than the other. 

Asgore summoned a whirlwind of fire that twirled and danced around the short skeleton with a ferocity that he hadn't sensed when the kid fought him. What was so different that everyone was giving him so much more trouble? Is it because he was a monster? Betrayal meant that much to them? Chara betrayed so much more.

Sans spun and ducked through the flames with more grace than he would like to admit. High LV did things to the way he thought and acted, All the way from the way he walked to how he looked at people. Not that there were any left. 

The gleaming trident was parried with a roaring blaster that dove in last minute to take the blow that Sans couldn't afford. It's skull smashed, it dissolved into light blue magic while it's brothers screeched with rage. The short skeleton fueled the fire and bombarded Asgore with attack after attack, similar to what he put the demon through right before his special attack. 

They now both stood shakily, panting heavily. 

"Why don't you ever confide in anyone, Sans?" Asgore rumbled. 

"...Because even if I did, it wouldn't make a difference... whoever I told would just forget. They all do." Sans replied, drawing an already sweaty sleeve over his forehead. "That includes you, king fluffybuns. It wasn't even a day." 

"What do you mean? How could anyone forget so quickly? That's not possible..." 

"S'alright. Not your fault anyway. Let's just get this over with," Sans growled softly. He brought his blasters to his sides and gathered his magic, taking aim with shaking hands. He was about to do it again. Kill his friends. His very last one. "Thanks for trying, Asgore." 

Dust and tears were scattered endlessly into the void, while sobs echoed throughout.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is anyone still reading this?


	13. searing burns

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> last but not least, Papyrus. He talks more next chap.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here comes the finale

Sans pushed himself to his feet after brushing off the excess dust. He wanted to lay down and sleep without waking up, but he still had a job to do. And though he wouldn't admit it, his newfound LV wouldn't let him pass by a chance to finish off another monster- better yet a human. So he backtracked to the final corridor where he found the demon waiting, Papyrus by their side. 

The tall skeleton's face lit up upon seeing him, but fell a moment later once his expression became apparent. "Sans? What's going on?" Pap asked, fidgeting. "No one's talking to me and I haven't seen Undyne or Alphys- or anybody." 

Sans felt a painful stab in his soul. "You're smart Paps. I know you are," He murmured, "But you're in denial. That's alright though... I am too."  _But not for much longer._ _Chara knows my attacks, along with any tricks. I need to start clean and stay determined. I_ won't  _let them win._

"I think we're finished with the cute crap, so let's break Pap in on the rules, shall we?" The demon suggested, but didn't wait for a reply before continuing with the explanation. "So your brother here dusted a lot of people. He should be around level nineteen, and is really running on zero sleep." Papyrus seemed frightened and confused. "I, however, am ready to go and I have the advantage of knowing what's to come. So summing it all up... I guess it's knowledge versus power, huh?" They giggled in anticipation. 

Papyrus stamped his foot. "Would you two stop being so mysterious and explain this to me?"

A tired sigh escaped him. "Paps... my dear brother..." his grin stretched wider without him even noticing. "Look at me. I have dust coating my bones, I have magic flowing around me, and you haven't seen any other monster on the entire trip here. You know what happened. Don't you? So please. Just sit this out, then forget like always. It's just following tradition after all. Live. Die. Forget. You do this everyday..." Sans knew he was rambling, but he couldn't stop," Every single day you day the same things, you go the same places, and you die the same way. Every single day you're decapitated in the snow and then you wake up and don't even remember anything. Why? Why only me? I'm the only one that remembers anything, and yet I'm not even the one... not even... I don't..." He shook his head angrily and flipped his hood up. "Look. Don't interfere and stay out of the way. It's for the greater good, Paps." 

"Well said, Sans. Well said." Chara congratulated, sidestepping to avoid a sudden rush of bones. "But don't get cocky. Just because you have a high LV, that doesn't mean I'll go down any easier than before. I have determination and knowledge, a powerful combo." 

The demon rushed at him, slashed, and giggled while they twirled away from him while bones spun and struck all around them. 

Sans was drunk on his overcharged magic. It was hard to think straight. "You may have determination and you may have seen what was to come, but I won't be surrendering to you either. No matter the consequences."

"No matter the consequences? Pfft, this isn't some cheesy romance movie you know. You're gambling the lives of everyone in the underground!" Chara was practically dancing through his attacks. 

Rage burned within him. "You took everything from me. That was your mistake." A deep gnawing hunger surfaced beside his anger, pushing him up and beyond anything he had ever thought he was capable of before. Something snapped within him. Something important. "And now,  **I have nothing left to lose."**

The gaster blasters that he had summoned suddenly screeched and writhed, falling to the floor. Blood curdling snaps and creaks filled the corridor as the blasters slowly lengthened, thinned, and stood. 

On the legs of a wild beast.

They roared and charged, magic oozing from their maws while they leaped and twisted through the air with the grace of a dancer, but the ferocity of the rage that burned within him. The power coursing through Sans was intoxicating. The surprise dusted over the demons features was satisfying beyond belief. 

He wanted to tear.

He wanted to break.

He wanted to kill. 

...But Papyrus was as determined as both of them. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm getting chills from my own writing how is this possible


	14. Shattering

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where's the cinnamon roll

Bright crimson gloves grabbed Sans from behind and pulled him into a bone crushing hug. With how sudden it was, he had almost lashed out with blazing magic and looming blasters. But thank the stars that he stopped himself just in time... but old habits die hard. 

"What are you doing?" Sans demanded, trying to shove off his brother and focus on the now approaching demon. 

"That's right! Hold him there Paps!" Chara sang. 

"STOP IT SANS!" Papyrus shouted over the chaos of battle. "THIS ISN'T YOU, NONE OF IT IS, SO STOP PRETENDING AND JUST TELL ME WHAT'S GOING ON!" 

His mind blanked for a moment, but he recovered quickly enough, "You're too late. Every time you figure it out, you're ALWAYS too late!" Sans tried to escape his brother's grip, but he was like a mouse caught in a sticky trap. "Just let go of me and let it happen. You've seen this before, okay? So just-"

"ALRIGHT! FINE! I'VE SEEN IT BEFORE! BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT I WON'T DO SOMETHING NOW!" Pap screeched, lifting Sans swiftly off the floor, lifting him out of Chara's reach, and dove through the tall shining window. 

As the shattering of glass overwhelmed all of Sans' senses, he looked back just in time to see the demon's face full of pure ecstatic bliss. His attention was needed elsewhere, however, as they arched downward toward the gray and lifeless sidewalk of new home. He couldn't place thoughts fast enough, and they flew closer and closer to the ground with every passing second as panic took over his senses.

"SANS TELEPORT!" Papyrus shouted, shaking him as the ground rushed up at the two. "HURRY! THERE'S NO MORE TIME!" 

Sans forced himself through his fear, gripped his magic, and enveloped them both with cyan magic as he shortcutted to waterfall. They appeared just off the ground, and fell with a thud a second later in a heap of limbs and bones. His fully formed gaster blasters suddenly appeared around them as well.

"...what... were you thinking!?" Sans demanded, struggling in his brother's arms. His feet couldn't get purchase in the muddy soil, devolving him into a sweaty, stubborn mess. "You just leaped through the window of the final corridor! Are you trying to kill  _yourself_ now?" 

Papyrus tightened his vice like grip even further, " _No,_ I'm keeping  _you_ from killing yourself," He stood shakily and seemed to choose a random direction before proceeding, Sans still writhing in his arms. "I leaped through that window with the knowledge that you loved me and you would save us both, because that's what big brothers do. When I broke through that glass, it was a symbol of my infinite trust in you. You can't do anything to shatter it, no matter how much you try." 

The short skeleton was finally running out of energy, what with all the magic he'd drained already. The gaster blasters dissipated along with his struggles. "That's not true. You have emotion, Paps. You can feel betrayal and hate and all those other things." 

"Then tell me, Sans," Papyrus' gaze suddenly bored into him, "are those emotions I should be feeling right now? Are they emotions  _you_ want me to feel?" The tall skeleton held his brother at arms length where he dangled limply. "Because I don't feel any of those. You want to know what I  _am_ feeling right now?"

"...What... do you feel?"

"Disappointment." 

_That word again. That damned emotion is going to haunt me, isn't it?_

Papyrus held him close once more. "But it's not that I'm disappointed in you. It's because I'm disappointed that you wouldn't share with me what's going on," he sighed deeply, "all this time you would close yourself off and pretend everything all right when it's not.

Sans, _it's okay to hurt sometimes!"_  Papyrus was crying through his words now. "If you're depressed or if problems keep popping up, that's when you come to your friends for help! That's when you come to  _me_ for help. Because we're here for you, all of us! And if you don't think we can help, well that doesn't matter. Because even then, we're all here for you! S-so... so don't..." Sans was placed gently on the ground while Papyrus kneeled before him with tears streaming down his face. "Don't do all of t-this Sans... I don't know how... and I don't know why... b-but don't... don't do this to us Sans... you d-didn't need to hurt anyone." 

Sans' legs gave out from under him, so he collapsed into brother with a broken sob. "Paps... I'm so sorry. I am so sorry. I'm sorry, I'm sorry...!" Dark tears stained their clothes, while heaving sobs filled the air. Both were laying out their pains, and healing each other in a cycle of love and kindness. "I never wanted to... I-I never meant it... meant it to go this f-far... I didn't see any other w-way out. I panicked... and now... a-and now...!" 

Papyrus shushed him. "It's okay... it'll be fine... we just have to focus o-on what's in front of us." He wiped tears away for the nth time. "Yeah! That's right. We just n-need to take this one step at... a time..." 

They devolved to broken sobs once more. 

 

Some time later, the brothers somewhat pulled themselves together enough to share knowledge of their present situation, along with plans of action. One in particular, however, sent Sans rattling and rejecting faster than anything before. 

"You want to  _fight_ the demon? Why?" 

"Calm down! I may not have us much powerful magic as you, but that doesn't mean I don't know how to fight!" Papyrus persisted stubbornly. "I can be useful! I can even just be backup! Just let me fight, Sans!"

"No! No way! I'm not letting you get hurt." 

"But you said it'll reset anyway, so I'll be back and I'll care for you." The tall skeleton retorted. "I may not remember what happened, and I may not know just how awful this entire experience was, but I will always love you more than anything in the world. You can count on that." 

Sans was stubborn as well, "But I'm tired of seeing you get hurt! Every day is the same day and every day you're dying in the snow!" He probably would've cried again if he had any magic to make it happen, but he was drained as dry as a raisin. 

"That was then. This is now." Papyrus pressed. His right eye flared a brilliant orange that illuminated the walls and enveloped them in a warm haze. "I can be determined too." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was just playing Undertale a moment ago and Paps just jumped through the window and I'm like: "The cinnamon roll is too amazing to not jump through a window"


	15. hello

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> plan of action comes to play

Papyrus wouldn't let his brother down, no matter what. 

They had been arguing for hours on end, and they both badly needed sleep despite being skeletons. It had taken up the entire night just to convince Sans to let him help, and then half the morning to convince him it was a good idea. They were now arguing all the way to the final corridor. 

"No, you'll stay behind me where it's safe." Sans demanded.

"I CAN HELP SANS! I'M NOT WEAK!" Papyrus retorted.

"I'm not taking any chances." He tried to shut him down.

"WELL NEITHER AM I! I'LL KEEP YOU SAFE!" Came the reply. 

They were in Hotland now and the arguments were still coming. Papyrus would have to figure something out soon or they would be standing on top of... 'Chara' while they bickered uselessly. He wasn't sure who the demon was or why they were here, but he could tell that they had hurt Sans. A lot. While he didn't approve of violence in any way shape or form, it seemed that it was inevitable in this situation. Papyrus' attention was snagged as they arrived at the hallway leading to the final corridor. 

"...Paps." Sans murmured. "It makes me so proud that you want to help, but... just... just be careful. Okay?" 

The short skeleton turned to face him, and once their eyes met, emotions flickered across Sans' face so fast he could barely tell which were which and which he imagined. Yet, he could see the fear. Papyrus took a moment to tremble in guilt with the knowledge that his dear brother went through things like this every day. "Alright. But I must ask you to trust me." 

"Of course I trust you." Sans replied at once. 

Their hands met and intertwined halfway. "Then trust me when I tell you this." Papyrus leaned down so his eyes met the other's, "I will keep you safe, Sans. My brother." 

For a split second, it looked like the shorter skeleton was about to cry, and spill more haunting memories of his childhood. The moment passed. "Thanks bro. You're so cool." 

"What did you expect?" Pap replied with a sharp grin. "Now let's go take care of what should have been done  _long_ ago." 

Hand in skeletal hand, the brothers proceeded into the final corridor, where they were bathed in shining golden light for the second time. Papyrus' eyes fell upon the shattered glass strewn hazardously about the room, and then to the gray buildings of New Home looming outside. 

But his attention was drawn to a small child humming happily to themselves as they colored on the floor with what seemed to be their own blood. Wasn't blood essential for humans? 

"Back again?" Chara asked, swiftly scarring the floor in broad strokes. "You took longer than I thought. I got bored." 

Sans watched silently, so Papyrus thought he might as well reply. It was rude not to after all. Even demons must have manners! "What are you drawing?" 

"You." They replied. 

The tall skeleton grinned. Surely they must be a fan! ...A little bit creepy, and maybe a little bad... but a fan. Papyrus stepped carefully toward the demon, keeping in mind that Chara liked to play tricks while Sans tugged a warning on his scarf. Once he was close enough to reach out and touch them, he bent forward to better view their artwork. It was detailed and realistic despite being drawn in blood, but there was one thing that bothered him. 

He didn't have a head. 

"Are you... not finished?" Papyrus asked once he was able to find his voice. 

Chara stood, stumbling a little. "Actually, it's a picture of what you'll look like once we're finished." 

All at once, the knife was in his face, Sans was at his side, and a maniacal laugh of glee overwhelmed his senses. Bones parried the knife, but Chara wasn't finished yet. They jabbed two, three, then four times while each lunge was blocked by another bone attack from the shorter skeleton. 

"You're going to regret that." Sans growled. 

"No, I don't think I will." Chara replied, drawing the knife over their own cheek.

"No..." Papyrus interjected. "You're not going to regret it. And I can tell that you never will." The demon suddenly seemed to snap to attention. "But you are going to pay for your sins. That, I guarantee." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you want the fight in Paps' point of view put a 1. at the beginning of your comment. If you want it in Sans' point of view put a 2. if you want CHARA *epic sound effects* then put a 3. and give me a WHOOP WHOOP


	16. This is war

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Let the fight begin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry to those that wanted number three. If you want I might make a chapter of Chara's point of view... but ah well. Only if enough people want it.

Papyrus felt his magic swell in time with his emotion as he summoned his bone attacks one right after the other, in a constant, ever changing pattern. He may not be a powerful as his brother, but that didn't mean he would put forth any less effort. Chara deserved this judgement after what they had done, and what they planned to do. It broke his heart (Sans would love that one) to hear all the things they had done- and in such a short time even. 

But now was not the time to take pity. Now was the time to judge. 

So following in his brother's footsteps, he cast his magic and fired his bones. Every other turn the brothers would switch, one of them on offense and the other focusing on defense until the demon was left sweating and panting through their laughter. 

"This is so much fun!" Chara cheered, "Who knew the great Papyrus could be  _this_ powerful! I should have brought him into this a  _long_ time ago!" 

Sans shouted over the chaos, "This is the first and last time Paps will have  _anything_ to do with you!" 

The tall skeleton corrected his brother, "No, I will help again if I must!" He proclaimed. "I will always be here to stop you. It doesn't matter when, and it doesn't matter where. You should have known when you chose this path that you would be stopped!" His speech was almost staring to sound like Alphys' anime. "This will be your final fight. You won't hurt anyone past this point, no matter you think. I- no, WE. WE WILL STOP YOU AND PUT AN END TO THIS SUFFERING!" 

Chara ran the knife along their wrists and screamed at the top of their lungs, "THEN COME AT ME WITH ALL THAT YOU HAVE!" 

Papyrus felt a sudden adrenaline rush race through him like the dropping of a plate, while Sans seemed to feel a similar surge as all three of them screamed into the chaos of battle and threw attacks like the world was no more. 

Nothing was held back, and nothing was spared. 

Pillars crumbled to the ground, and the windows that were spared before, shattered now in their presence. The floor was torn up and bones pierced the ceiling, sending crumbled bits of debris raining down upon them. 

Suddenly, Chara moved faster than what seemed possible. She ducked under his bones, leaped past the blasters, and made a maniacal lunge for Sans, knife outstretched. Time slowed to a stop as panic took over Sans' face, and fear was wrote across his own. 

Papyrus leaped for the knife, but he knew he wouldn't make it in time. He tried sending bones after them, but they might hit Sans if they went too fast what with the horrendous angle. 

"SANS!" He screamed.

"YES SANS!" Chara shrieked. 

The short skeleton fell to his knees, the knife still buried deep within his chest while blood dripped steadily to the golden floor, filling the cracks and staining it a nightmare inducing crimson. 

"Paps..." Sans croaked, his blasters and bones dissipating with a soft pop of magic. "Papyrus..." The tall skeleton rushed to his brother and held him in his arms, not bothering with the demon. "I know... I ask a lot of you... and sometimes you get annoyed with me... but just one more time... could you do me a favor?"

"Anything!" Papyrus replied at once. They were both crying with short hiccuping sobs, "I'll do anything you ask just... just don't leave!" 

"Could you... finish... what I couldn't... and take... take care of yourse..." Sans' dust coated his gloves in a thick powder. 

Papyrus trembled while rage and hate filled him to the brim. 

"Oh well!" Chara sang. "Looks like this wasn't the last time I would hurt someone. Like it or not, I have goals in-"

His glove was off before they could blink, and his scarred phalanges wrapped around their throat like a vice. 

"Human," His eye flared a brilliant orange, "I judge you as guilty." 

A sharpened bone pierced through their stomach while their blood coated his bones. The demon was then dropped to the floor unceremoniously, and without hesitation. 

"Feel your sins, and know your mistake." Papyrus said monotonously. He then turned silently and slipped into his brother's hoodie as the world faded to black. 

His attention was drawn to a large black and white box with the words 'reset' and 'continue' typed within it. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If I was actually a good writer, someone might actually draw one of these epic scenes I have in my head. But I'm not. And I'm not that popular. I'm not even here. Byyyyeeee guuuuuuyyyyyys


	17. bones

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *sweats nervously*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did anyone forget this is in a flashback?

Sans gasped, bolting upright in his nest of blankets, right back to his starting point at every reset. 

 _He had just left Papyrus alone to fight the demon. He just_ left him  _all alone to fight a_ demon  _by himself._ Didn't he want to protect Papyrus? So why did this keep happening? Why was he so incompetent? No matter what happened, Papyrus always died in the end. And if he was back in his room... 

The demon won the fight. 

His chance was gone. 

Sans trembled and doubled over, breaths coming in short gasps of fear and rage.  _I just killed all my friends for nothing. I just let Papyrus die again, and when it mattered most. I let the demon have it's way, once again. I can't do anything. Nothing I do works. Nothing ever changes... why would I think this would? My life with always be hell... so why do I even try?_

And yet the answer to his most often asked question, was the same every time.  _I try for Papyrus._ It was always his brother. Nothing else mattered. He definitely cared about his other friends, and he would absolutely save them if any were in a pinch, but Papyrus is... the last brother he has left. Sans shook his head, forcing away tears that threatened to overwhelm him once again. He was a fool to think bringing his brother into this mess would change anything. Hell, he was a fool to try and change anything in the first place. He was even-

"SANS?" 

The short skeleton jerked his head up in surprise at the voice of his brother. "P-paps? What is it?"

"...I CALLED YOU A FEW TImes but..." The taller skeleton glanced nervously about the cluttered room of chaos. "You didn't come when I called and you didn't reply so I came to check on you... and... what's going on? Why are you crying?"

Sans scrambled for a reply that would appease his brother, but he came up empty. Why bother? It'll just reset again anyway. "Doesn't matter."  _Might as well get it over with._ "Actually... there's something you should know."  Papyrus quickly situated himself near his brother, tentatively leaning forward in anticipation. "There's... someone coming. Someone you don't know. And they... they don't want to be friends. So..." He refused to choke on his sobs as memories flashed through his mind. "I know I ask a lot of you... and sometimes you get annoyed with me..." He could practically see the final corridor, smeared with his own dust. "But just one more time. Could you do me a favor?" 

Papyrus suddenly placed his gloved hands upon his shoulders, jaw slightly slack with brow bone knitted tightly. "...Anything... anything you ask..." Sans' jaw fell open while time seemed to slow, "just... don't... leave..." The short skeleton was glomped in a hug. "You want me... to... finish... what you couldn't... and to look after myself...?"

"Y-you... remember...?" Sans stuttered, breath hitching as the weight of this situation fell upon his shoulders. "B-but... how is that possible?"

"But Sans... what do I remember? It's so blurry..." The short skeleton's eyes blinked out in an instant. "It feels like I'm looking at a painting, but it was smeared over and smudged, so now I can't see it anymore. What happened?"

_Could it be...? Did Paps actually..._

"Try and remember." Sans demanded. "You have to. There's no way you don't remember." 

The tall skeleton closed his eyes in concentration. They sat in silence, the air heavy with tension. The seconds ticked by, and all the while Sans' hopes dropped lower and lower, until he slipped into his trademark grin and patted his brother on the shoulder.  _Thanks for trying_ he said, before shortcutting to his post and falling in the snow. Sans didn't bother standing. He simply lay there, thinking about anything other than Papyrus. 

But of course, when does anything go his way?

 _It's so unfair. Life is unfair. Nothing changes. Papyrus deserves better. He's going to be mad I left him... it'll reset anyway._ He rolled until his face was buried in the snow.  _Should I even bother greeting the demon? It's not like they'll do anything different. Just the norm of insults and freaky crap about death._

"SANS!" Screeched a voice before a squishy form collapsed on top of him, burying him further into the snow. "Thank goodness!" Sobbed... the demon?

No...  _Frisk!_

"Frisk? Is that you?" He tried to twist around to hug them back, or at least see their face, but they wouldn't stop sobbing into his tattered jacket. "Is it really you? Please tell me this isn't a dream..." 

"It's not a dream! There is  _no way_ this is a dream!" Frisk cried. "Papyrus really did it! It was so amazing. I have to thank him. I need to tell him... we both do! He deserves to know what he did." 

Sans was scrambling for words, when two and two suddenly aligned in his mind. "Wait... you mean  _Papyrus_ killed the demon?"

The kid finally let him sit up, before promptly glomping him in another hug. "Yeah! After you were dusted... it was really scary, but... but that doesn't matter! I'm finally back! I'm here, you're here, monsters can be free again. There can be peace!" 

"But what about Chara?"

"I can't find them!" Frisk exclaimed. "Usually there's this tight feeling in my soul, or I'll see the shadow of their ghost floating around... but I can't find them and the weight is gone! Something about Papyrus either scared them off or... got rid of them...?" 

Sans shook his head in disbelief. "There's no way." 

"But it's true!"

"There is  _no_ way this is actually happening to me."

"But it is!"

They embraced once more, and cried together until the minutes turned to hours and their time was interrupted by the arrival of another monster. 

* * *

 

_***end of flashback*** _

 

The room was silent and tense.

 _I screwed up, I screwed up, I screwed up._ Sans repeated in his mind like a mantra. Ever since he finished telling his story, Papyrus had been burning a hole through his very soul with a more stoic expression than he could ever hope to achieve. Sweat beaded on his skull and his hands began to shake as Papyrus slowly stood from the couch, looming over him.

"Sans." 

The shorter skeleton flinched, "Y-yeah?"

His breath caught as he was wrapped in a hug. "I want to apologize to you." 

"What...? Why?" 

Papyrus huffed, "I have been unfair to you. All these days I've been dragging you to events and forcing you to have fun when you weren't." He pulled away and looked Sans in the eye. "But that's going to chance  _right now._ I'm going to make sure you never go through something like that ever again. And if anyone tries to hurt you, they'll have to answer to me. The great Papyrus. So don't worry so much about me. Instead, try thinking about yourself for once! 

"For example, if you want some of the Great Papyrus' famous spaghetti, you go to him and ask for it! Or, if you're bored and want to do something with someone, just go and ask for it!" 

The examples continued, one after the other. Sans couldn't help but chuckle and shake his head.  _Classic Papyrus. He's died more times than anyone, and he killed the demon I never could, and now he's standing here lecturing me on how to take care of myself. Heh. I always thought I was looking after other people instead of myself... but only Papyrus can do that._

"You're so cool bro." Sans interrupted his brother's speech of how to make new friends. 

Papyrus pointed his finger in the air, waving it around like a schoolteacher. "I know! But you are too, Sans. I suppose." 

They delved into fits of laughter soon after. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I might make a second part to it... does anyone want this continued?


	18. A message to readers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> letting those know who liked this story or hated the mistakes and bad plotting

This fic is being redone since my writing has gotten way better so here's a little excerpt of the beginning to see if you'd read it

 

 

As the aftershock of fear ebbed away, Sans sat up and wiped the sweat from his brow with a practiced swipe of his... torn sleeve. Dammit.

He quietly took in the damage done to his room; the creased, ugly blanket ball was clinging to the door and had quite a few members of his sock collection stuck inside it. A little more to the left stood the treadmill, which was now noticably out of place and politely held a stray pair of shorts. Papyrus would thank it when laundry day came. Finally... welp. That was about it, other than himself.

He was tired, sweaty, and gross as usual, but some of his clothes were torn.

It took awhile of mentally screaming at himself to just /move/, but finally he rolled off the bed and met the floor with a hearty chest bump. This time he dragged his fingers over his skull, the pain urging him to move a bit more.

Sans moved the crusty blanket ball before heading to the bathroom. Or at least that was his plan. Looks like Papyrus was already in there. Singing one of Metatton's many theme songs.

He knew Papyrus barely slept, but damn. What time was it anyway? After consulting his phone, the time was revealed to be far too early for him.

He went back to his room and laid around for awhile. Dead to the world. A bit longer and his body was shutting down. Not for sleep. Sometime later the mind followed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [here's the new one](https://archiveofourown.org/works/13098111)


End file.
